What is Onion Allergy And What Its Symptoms

Do you often feel ill after eating food? Most people immediately suspect an allergy if the problem happens repeatedly and they go to great lengths to diagnose the cause of the problem. However, this doesn't always work because some food substances are not immediately suspected to be allergenic. Onion is one such substance although onion allergy is very much a problem for some people. Because onions are found in almost every savory preparation, in whole or powdered form, this creates a lot of problems for people who suffer from it. Interestingly, people who suffer from this allergy also tend to have problems with garlic since these two vegetables belong to the same plant family.

The symptoms of onion allergy are very similar to most other allergies. They appear immediately upon consumption of onions in some cases and hours later in other cases. Most people who are allergic to this vegetable suffer from skin irritation and runny eyes and nose. Extreme symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, and intensely painful stomach cramps brought upon by your body's inability to digest these vegetables. If however, the symptoms include dizziness and fainting then you need to get medical help immediately because this indicates that there is a dangerous drop in your blood pressure.

If you suspect that you are allergic to onions then you need to have a doctor check it out for you by conducting the appropriate tests. Your next step should be to identify all the foods that you cannot eat. Keep in mind that almost every salty snack food contains onion powder (and sometimes even garlic in powdered form) because these are very effective taste enhancers. However, you need to be very careful about what you eat because there is no other way of protecting yourself from the symptoms of this allergy.

Even though prevention is the best way of dealing with your onion allergy, there might be instances where you get exposed to this vegetable. Therefore, you need to keep the right medication handy. Your doctor will advise you regarding the appropriate medication depending on the severity of your symptoms. If you have mild attacks then regular antihistamines in pill or liquid form will suffice. You could also keep corticosteroid creams handy to deal with skin inflammations. If you have severe allergic attacks then your doctor might prescribe you an epinephrine injection so that you can arrest the attack before it becomes lethal.